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Francisco Bustamante

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Francisco Bustamante
Bustamante at an event, ca. 2007
Born (1963-12-29) December 29, 1963 (age 60)
Tarlac, Philippines
Sport country Philippines
Nickname"Django"
Professional1990
Pool gamesNine-ball, Ten-ball, One Pocket, Banks
Tournament wins
World ChampionNine-ball (2010)
Medal record
Representing  Philippines
Men's Nine-ball
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan Doubles

Francisco Bustamante (born December 29, 1963) is a Filipino professional pool player from Tarlac, Central Luzon and the 2010 World Nine-ball Champion,[1] nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the 1966 film of the same name,[2] and sometimes also called "Bustie", especially in the United States. Bustamante has won over 70 international titles and is considered one of the greatest pool players of all time.[3][4]

Early life

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Bustamante is the youngest of eight siblings. He picked up the nickname "Django" because his character and his appearance with a cigarette in his mouth was reminiscent of the movie character of that name. His father made a living through building toilets and planting rice, and Bustamante also worked in these activities. He began working in his sister's pool hall, racking and spotting balls on the tables, and practising alone on the tables after the hall had closed.[5]

Bustamante never completed high school and concentrated on pocket billiards from 10 years of age. After some success in the Philippines, Bustamante moved to Germany where he stayed for over ten years, competing in a number of tournaments in Europe.[6]

Career

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Bustamante has won titles including the Munich Masters, the German Nine-ball Championship, and the All Japan Championship. With his win in Tulsa, Bustamante became champion of the 1998 Camel Pro Billiards Series year-long point fund. He then finished the season by winning the Columbus 10-Ball Open and becoming the first player to win three Camel titles in one season. His Columbus 10-Ball title completed the first ever Camel trifecta, with titles in each of the three games contested on the Camel Pro Billiards Series: eight-ball, nine-ball and ten-ball. Known for his flamboyant style at the table and behind-the-back shots, Bustamante also holds the world record for having the most powerful break shot.

In 1999, Bustamante finished third in the WPA World Nine-ball Championship after losing to Efren Reyes, who went on to win. A few months later he won the International Challenge of Champions. He won that tournament again three years later.[7]

The next year, Bustamante won the Motolite 9-ball Tournament, an event held in the Philippines, beating Antonio Lining. The victory prize was $30,000, the largest first prize offered in a Philippine-held tournament at that time.

In 2002, Bustamante received a phone call from his wife during the World Pool Championships, informing him that his daughter, who was less than a year old, had died. Bustamante considered forfeiting his contention at the tournament to return to the Philippines, but some people around including fellow countryman Efren Reyes convinced him to go on.[8] On his way to the final, Bustamante beat Antonio Lining in the last 16, Efren Reyes in the quarter finals, and Ching Shun Yang in the semis. In the final, he met Earl Strickland, twice winner of the tournament. After leading for most of the match, Bustamante lost the match 17–15.

Bustamante won the Peninsula Nine-ball Open, Gabriel's Las Vegas International Nine-ball tournament, the IBC Tokyo Nine-ball International, and the All Japan Nine-ball Championship. He also won the Sudden Death Seven-ball tournament, dedicating the victory to his daughter. With this string of victories, he became the AZBilliards 2002 Player of the Year.[9]

Francisco Bustamante (left) and Alex Pagulayan (center) at the 2004 US Open Nine-ball Championship signing autographs.

Bustamante won the World Pool League in 2004, defeating world nine-ball champion Alex Pagulayan.[10] He reached the finals of that event in 2001 but was beaten by Steve Knight.

In 2006, Bustamante and his partner Efren Reyes won the inaugural World Cup of Pool, defeating the American duo of Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris 13–5 in the final.[11] They also won the event for the second time in 2009, defeating the German pair of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann 11–9.[12]

In 2007, he was undefeated in the United States Pro Tour Championship held at the Normandie Casino in Los Angeles, California.[13]

For 2007, he was ranked No. 7 in Pool & Billiard Magazine's "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players" poll.[14]

He competed in the 2008 WPA World Straight Pool Championship where he finished second behind Niels Feijen, becoming the only Filipino player to reach the finals of the event.[15]

In 2010, Bustamante again reached the finals of the World Nine-ball Championship, winning the match and the title against Taiwan's Kuo Po-cheng.[16]

On July 27, 2010, Francisco Bustamante, along with Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, founders of the American Pool Players Association (APA), were elected to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame,[17] and inducted on October 21, 2010.[18] Bustamante was the second player from the Philippines to be inducted, after Efren Reyes.

Titles and achievements

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References

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  1. ^ "Bustamante is new king of World 9-Ball Pool – Sports – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News". Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  2. ^ 2002 AZBilliards Player of the Year Archived June 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine interview with Bustamante
  3. ^ "Greatest Players of All Time". Billiards and Pool Principles, Techniques, Resources. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "The Best Pool Players Of All Time". Ranker. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  5. ^ Ted Lerner (October 2010). "One of a Kind". Billiards Digest. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  6. ^ Eddie Alinea (July 9, 2010). "Django's win a realization of a lifetime dream". PhilBoxing.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  7. ^ "Bustamante wins Challenge of Champions". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  8. ^ Interview with Francisco Bustamante Archived June 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, AzBilliards.com. Retrieved June 18, 2007
  9. ^ 2002 AzBilliards Men's Player of the Year, Francisco Bustamante Archived November 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, AzBilliards.com. Retrieved June 18, 2007
  10. ^ "Bustamante Takes First League Title". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  11. ^ Hermund. "Philippines capture World Cup of Pool". Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "»»» Bata Reyes, Bustamante Wins World Cup of Pool | Artuji". web.archive.org. December 26, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  13. ^ Bustamante Wins US Pro Tour Championship at Normandie Casino Archived November 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, AzBilliards.com. Retrieved June 18, 2007
  14. ^ "The Survey Says...: Pool & Billiard Magazine's 22nd Annual Player and Fan Poll". Pool & Billiard Magazine. Vol. 26, no. 2. Summerville, South Carolina: Sports Publications. February 2008. p. 14. ISSN 1049-2852.
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  16. ^ AzB Staff (July 5, 2010). "Francisco Bustamante Wins World Crown". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  17. ^ Press Release (July 27, 2010). "Francisco Bustamante, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart Gain BCA Hall of Fame Election". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  18. ^ AzB Staff (October 21, 2010). "BCA Hall of Fame Inductees Honored". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  19. ^ SpiderWebComm (July 15, 2024). "Bustamante, Styer, Hanson & Seaman Are The Big Dogs in Des Moines - News - AZBILLIARDS.COM". AzBilliards. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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  22. ^ "Bustamante Banks A Win". Azbilliards. Azbilliards. January 25, 2017. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
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